2014 – Ecotopia Biketour

You can achieve whatever you set your mind to

verabgr December 13, 2014 December 21, 2014

I hadn’t cycled for 10 years and if you told me 6 months ago that I would have joined the Ecotopia Biketour this summer I would have laughed at you. But I did; and I made it from the beginning of Ecotopia Biketour 2014 until the end. It all started in February when I met this year’s organizers in Thessaloniki. They came to the assembly at Sholio, a squatted social center, to ask if they could use the space for the spring meeting. It was the first time I heard about the idea of a biketour and it sounded great…

Obituary: Strudel Apollo Sanchez Buchanan

Bike Bel September 24, 2014 October 21, 2014

Strudel Apollo joined the Ecotopia Biketour on 18th August 2014. At 2 weeks old, this orphan kitten stole our hearts immediately. We decided to help this cat-like fellow, descendent of Alexander the Great, and find for him a new family. With a surprisingly uncanny resemblance to his adoptive mother: big, beautiful, eyeliner eyes and bowed back legs that made him waddle in a cute way, it was hard not to like him. Since the beginning he proved to be a very curious and courageous cat. He got along with everybody very easily and he even won the cat-haters around. When…

An old mill gives inspiration to someone getting older

sml September 14, 2014 October 21, 2014

Three years in a row I celebrated my birthday among the Biketour crowd. It started in 2012 when I had just joined for the first time a week before my birthday and was surprised with a polenta cake on a wildcamping day (thank you Emma!). This year it was even more special. Being involved in the coordination I could influence where we were going to be on the day I turned 30 (which is symbolically quite charged and despite trying to brush it aside it is not easy to evade all these questions being asked about what you are going…

Per.ka – a real solution to the food crisis

Bike Bel August 25, 2014 October 21, 2014

The people of Per.ka spent some hours with us last Saturday morning talking about their organic community garden. It is an incredibly inspiring story in itself, and within which there are a fabric of individual’s stories. It all began only 3 years ago when people got together and decided they wanted space to grow things together in the city. They looked around a few places, but the abandoned military camp at Karatasou was the natural choice: it’s vast, it was available straight away and with the support of the cultural club and water was readily available (although not without it’s…

Washing away capitalism: workers who’ve occupied their factory provide a space of hope

Alex August 24, 2014 October 21, 2014

As the Ecotopia Bike Tour wheeled into a sun scorched factory in Southern Thessaloniki; not only was the sun glaring but so too was the obvious need for spaces where alternatives could be realised. The spirit of our critical mass to the occupied building materials factory, Vio.me., had been dimmed by the heavy police presence (1 police car in front of us, 2 behind and motorbike alongside us) which escorted us for the entire ride through the city. However, our destination, which has been run as a democratic workers’ co-operative producing environmentally friendly washing products for eighteen months proved to…

Thessaloniki Programme

Bike Bel August 21, 2014 August 21, 2014

Hi everyone! Ecotopia Biketour arrives into Thessaloniki this evening at Per.ka, an ex-military camp, now a big organic community garden! Join us there to camp, or have a look at the schedule at activities we have planned which are open for anyone to join in! Day Activity Location Time Thursday Arrival at camp Set up tents Per.ka,military camp Karatasou http://perka.org/node/226 Evening Friday Bike Fixing workshop Yfanet, corner Perdika/Omirou 4-7pm Saturday Discussions with Per.ka Working in the Community Garden Per.ka 11-1pm 3-6pm Sunday Critical Mass ride to Vio.Me Visit to self-organised factory Vio.Me to listen to the…

Εκμηδενίζοντας τα σύνορα και συνδέοντας αγώνες και συλλογικότητες με ένα ποδήλατο

sml August 21, 2014 October 21, 2014

Ecotopia Biketour? Όταν η φίλη μου η Κλαίρη μου πρωτομίλησε γι’ αυτό πριν από περίπου 3 χρόνια, την κοίταξα με γουρλωμένα μάτια και της είπα: Υπέροχη ιδέα, αλλά μου φαίνεται πολύ δύσκολο να καταφέρουμε να κάνουμε κάτι τέτοιο! Φέτος, μερικά χρόνια και αρκετά ποδηλατικά χιλιόμετρα αργότερα, ξαναθυμήθηκα για το Ecotopia Biketour με αφορμή το φετινό τους ταξίδι που είχε προγραμματισθεί να γίνει στη γειτονιά μας, στα νότια Βαλκάνια και στην Ελλάδα, ενώ η διοργάνωση και η προετοιμασία να έχουν έδρα τη Θεσσαλονίκη. Ψάχνοντας περισσότερες πληροφορίες στην ιστοσελίδα τους ανακάλυψα ότι πρόκειται για μια αυτοοργανωμένη κολεκτίβα ανθρώπων που κάθε χρόνο ταξιδεύουν…

The beauty of a rainy summer in the Balkans

Bike Bel August 9, 2014 August 9, 2014

This summer has been uncharacteristically wet here. In both Bulgaria and Serbia, locals would expect to be sweating in the midday sun, not dripping from yet another unpredictable shower. Alas, it’s raining constantly. In Kosovo, a downpour on the first night almost caused a flood and another disrupted a open air workshop. Now, in Macedonia, all the rumours have been that a storm is coming any minute now! Yet, being who we are, we decided to look on the bright side of things. So here are ten reasons why we are HAPPY it is so damn rainy! 1 Water sources…